HADEP Sirnak President Resul Sadak Interviewed

"People of Silopi used to losses"
Turkish Daily News
July 7, 2001
by Mert Gozde

Resul Sadak is the brother of Selim Sadak, former Democracy Party (DEP) Sirnak
parliamentarian who was expelled from Parliament in 1994 and placed in theAnkara
Ulucanlar Prison. Upon losing his chance of becoming a parliamentarian in the 1999 general
elections, his party gave him the task of forming the Sirnak provincial organization on Feb.
14, 2000. This marked the start of a series of amazing events. Sadak, just released from
prison, answered questions  for the

Turkish Daily News.

TDN: For which accusation and in what manner were you put under custody?

SADAK: People's Democracy Party (HADEP) Sirnak Vice President Selim Bayar, Central
Administrative Province Chairman Ezgar Osal and I took off from Sirnak to Silopi at 9 a.m.
on April 15. Our aim was to visit the families of our  Silopi administrators who had been
missing for five months.

We were stopped by the gendarmerie for a search and identity check when we came to the
Kasrik Pass between Sirnak-Cizre. We weren't disturbed as  we were made to wait two-three
hours whenever we passed there. While expecting a normal "wait" again, we were faced with
different circumstances. The officials who had stopped our vehicle, after half an hour, started
turning back vehicles coming in our direction, closing the workplaces in the surrounding
area and sending their owners home. Upon realizing what was going on, I warned the
members of our party that were next to me and called the HADEP Center to inform the party 
administrators of what was going on.

A soldier soon approached us and requested us to switch our vehicle's direction from Cizre to
where we had come from -- Sirnak. I did what was wanted. Then a sergeant approached the
car, made me get out, searched me and then took me to the hut located at the search point.
With the order of the station commander Senior Staff Sergeant Ali Aktas, my hands were
tied at my back and I was taken to the station. I was searched a second time at the station.
Then I was blindfolded and asack was put over my head. We got in a car and set off.

After a certain time, we reached the Cizre State Hospital. I was put through a checkup there.
I couldn't understand why I was brought to the Cizre State Hospital whereas we were closer
to the Sirnak city center. After the checkup I was brought to the town of Kasrik. My friends
were waiting there. We were all taken to the Sirnak Gendarmerie Regiment
Commandership. A sergeant major there recorded my testimony. He informed me that the
soldiers who had searched me at the control point had placed a complaint about me. They
had stated that I had swore at them using the words, "The dogs of the Republic of Turkey." I
was shocked. 

I stated that I had made no such insult and added that there hadn't been any arguments
between the soldiers and myself. I read my written testimony and signed it. After being put
through another checkup at the Sirnak State Hospital I was brought back to the gendarmerie.
I was under custody that night.

The next day I was brought in front of Sirnak Prosecutor Ali Goren. The prosecutor asked
me whether I accepted my written testimony or not. I said that I accepted that the written
testimony was mine but rejected the accusation that I had insulted the soldiers. I was taken to
the court on duty and was acquitted by the judge. I went to the hotel where I was staying in
Sirnak. The gendarmerie and police  came and took me at around 7:30 p.m. They informed
me that upon rejection by the prosecutor, the court had issued an arrest order concerning
myself, with a judgement given in default. I was taken to see the Sirnak Gendarmerie
Regiment Commander Col. Levent Ersoz. Col. Ersoz placed a phone call and ordered the
person on the other end of the line to put me in prison. They took me to the Sirnak 
Courthouse at around 9 p.m. The judge and prosecutor came, issued a warrant of arrest and 
sent it to the Sirnak Prison.

TDN: The judge that arrested you had set you free before. What was his accusation this
time?

SADAK: I was arrested by a different judge. I was accused of  "insulting the security
forces and abusing them." The accusation of abuse hadn't been  mentioned while I
was testifying at the gendarmerie or at the Public Prosecutor's  Office. It was put
forth when I faced the judge. I was shocked when the judge said, "Do you know that
one of the soldiers that you struck has been given a report stating that he cannot work for 10
days and the other for 15 days?" The sergeant and soldier who were given doctors reports on
the grounds that they had been physically abused by me were present at the scene and did not
look at all "beaten up." But the judge chose to believe them instead of me.

TDN: Are you physically big enough to beat up two soldiers? Can you describe your height
and weight?

SADAK: My height is 1.63 meters and my weight is around 83-84  kilograms. My weight
and height aren't directly proportionate. But I must not only  be physically capable but also
crazy to beat up those soldiers. We are afraid to cross their shadows, let alone beat them up.
If I really was to have resisted the soldiers, I probably wouldn't be alive now.

TDN: You had been put under custody before. What had they accused you of then?

SADAK: We attended the Batman Provincial Convention on Sept. 23, 2000. We were
stopped at the gendarmerie control point, located at the Sirnak  border, while returning the
same day. I understood something would happen when we were made to wait too long. We
had never waited there in our former trips.

Extensive security measures had been taken. All vehicles had been stopped. When
it was our turn, all sides of our vehicles were searched. They  searched in the spare tire and
under the couches. They left when they couldn't find anything.

We didn't come across anything unusual until Idil. There's a police station at the exit
of Idil. We were searched and our identities were checked there as well. We realized that the
road was blocked by a panzer while approaching the Duzova Gendarmerie Station linked to
Cizre. As soon as they took our identity cards, they wanted us to park our vehicles in the
station's garden. I wasn't allowed to use my mobile to inform our party administrators of
what was going on. They confiscated my cellular phone, blindfolded us and put us in a room.

TDN: How many people were in your group?

SADAK: We were 13 people in all and were travelling in two separate cars. The others were
friends from our party. We were brought to Sirnak in blindfolds and were interrogated at the
gendarmerie station. They only asked questions concerning HADEP. They told us that we
would face many problems if we  didn't stop organizing HADEP and threatened us with
death. We weren't tortured or beaten.

When taken to court the next day, we were accused of carrying an  unlicensed automatic gun
in our car. But no such gun was found in the search. No questions had been asked about the
gun during the interrogation either. They had just pressured us to sign an official report they
had prepared while we had our blindfolds on. I had rejected signing it.

After nine days in custody, we were taken to court on a Sunday. We were then arrested and
sent to the Sirnak Prison. After spending two hours there we were sent to the Mardin Prison.
We reached Mardin towards dawn. After spending a  month there we were transferred to the
Siirt Prison. After staying under  arrest for 82 days, we were acquitted on Dc. 12, 2000, by
the Diyarbakir Second State  Security Court (DGM).

TDN: What types of weapons were you accused of carrying in your vehicle?

SADAK: We were accused of carrying bombs, detonators, kalashnikovs and  illegal
organization flags. They also said they had found guns in a search  conducted in my home.
In fact, they made my family wait outside while putting a gun under my bed and prepared an
official report stating that a gun had been found under my bed. They forced my wife to sign
the report and threatened the neighbors when she refused. The fearful neighbors signed it.

TDN: You were taken under custody at almost the same time as Osman Demir, the chief
village guardian of the Batuvan tribe and independent mayor of the town of Kumcati linked
to Sirnak. Didn't you come across each other at the gendarmerie or prison?

SADAK: Yes, we did. They arrested Demir the same day that I was taken under custody and
sent to court. We shared the same cell for eight days in the Sirnak Prison. He was transferred
to the Mardin Prison after being arrested.  He is there at the moment and will be taken to
court on July 4.

TDN: Was he offended when taken into custody?

SADAK: You know he is a village guardian. Many members of his tribe work as guardians.
They fought against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for years and lost many relatives
during the process. He has received many letters of commendation from many of the
commanders for his successes. He can't understand why he has been taken into custody
despite all his efforts on behalf of the state.

He said he faced a similar plot and stated that Col. Ersoz told him he was working for both
sides and so they weren't going to work with him anymore. Demir was then taken into
custody and put in a car. There was also a weapon called a "docka" in the car, apparently.
He was taken out to open land where a hole was dug and the gun placed in it. Demir's
picture was taken beside the gun. He was put on trial with the accusation that he had "hidden
weapons for the PKK" and was then arrested.

TDN: What did he have to say about being taken into custody while claiming to be on the
side of the state?

SADAK: He was very upset and said: "I received five letters of commendation from
commanders of the security forces before today. The sixth was this custody. I didn't deserve
such treatment."

According to him, Col. Ersoz said: "All Kurds are the same. Guardian, member of HADEP
or MHP ... it makes no difference. After Osman Demir, they brought in the mayor of the
town of Senoba, Seyhmus Babat. He too claimed this to be  a plot. Babat reported that a
search had been conducted in his home in which authorities wrote a report claiming to have
found 800 grams of hashish -- Babat claims that officials put this in his home themselves.
Babat told us that he wasn't into the drug trade and even if he was, he would've had more
then 800 grams. He too fought against the PKK with his tribe and lost many of his relatives.
He kept saying he couldn't understand what was going on. The guardian of the town of 
Belveren who is also the mayor, Sait Sidar, was also taken into custody a week ago, 
arrested and sent to prison.

TDN: In one of your former statements you claimed that all that had happened to yourself
and your friends was part of a plan trying to prevent the organization of HADEP in Sirnak
and its surrounding. Did similar things happen in Sirnak?

SADAK: The HADEP chairman of the town Cizre, Mehmet Dilsiz, was threatened with
death many times. He went to prison twice and was accused of carrying drugs the last time
he was arrested. He was acquitted in his first trial which was on June12. Now he is at home
and is still being threatened.

All HADEP administrators have been to prison. The last incident concerned the head town
secretary, Mehmet Yumak, who was taken into custody by soldiers that had surrounded his
home. He faced a similar plot. Officials put a kalashnikov gun behind his refrigerator at
home and acted as if it belonged to him. First he was taken into custody, then was sent to
prison with the accusation that he had an unlicensed weapon.

TDN: Do the ones that take you into custody reveal to you openly their real aims?

SADAK: Col. Ersoz openly told us we should leave HADEP or we wouldn't survive.
He told this many times every time we were arrested. He said: "My status and position are
clear. You can complain to whomever you want."

Threats are sent via phone calls and messengers. For example, I set off from Sirnak to
Diyarbakir on Jan. 3. Our Silopi administrators weren't lost yet at that date. A car with a
civilian number plate blocked the road and two people with civilian clothes got out. They
stated that they were members of the JITEM and said Col. Ersoz was waiting for me in his
office. They insisted even though I told them I had come a long way and would be late if I
turned back. Having no other alternative, I turned back and met Col. Ersoz. He told me he
would strangle me in the Kasrik Strait if I didn't stop organizing HADEP. A captain named
Kemal was present while Ersoz was sayingthese. All members of our party were threatened
in the same way. Even people that helped HADEP were affected by this.

TDN: Why were people who weren't members of the party threatened?

SADAK: Salih Buldus rented his shop to us in Cizre. Some soldiers in civilian clothing took
him out to open land and threatened him. They even took him to the home of MHP town
chairman Abdurrahman Ciftci and told him to rent his shop to Ciftci if he wanted to do so.
Ciftci replied saying he already had a place and didn't need another one and asked why he
was made to confront this person.

TDN: Are you determined to be the HADEP chairman despite all these threats and
pressures?

SADAK: Until the end. I want to keep up the struggle in the name of  peace and
brotherhood. I won't back down no matter what kind of pressure is put on. HADEP
is a legal political party and is organized everywhere in Turkey. If Sirnak isn't a part
of this country and is being administrated with different laws, Ecevit should make an
explanation. Then we can act in accordance to that.

The reason for our demanding an explanation is that when two of our administrators from
Silopi were lost, Ecevit said he had no information concerning the subject. However our
Silopi Chairman Serdar Tanis had informed the head of state, prime minister, Parliament
speaker, chief of General Staff, justice minister, interior minister and the Emergency Rule
(OHAL) mayor and prosecutor, with a petition saying that he was being threatened with
death. We constantly get such threats.

I organized the HADEP organization in Sirnak over a year ago but I only got the chance to
see the mayor in the newspapers. I have spent every week this past year requesting an
appointment but I have been turned down each time. We haven't been able to submit the
necessary documents even when we were establishing the party -- we had to submit them via
a notary. This is because we aren't perceived to be people to be addressed. We had to submit
documents via a notary when we were founding the organization in Cizre and Silopi too. Not
a single head of thecivilian administration spoke to us. No matter what the obstacle is, I 
will go on with my struggle. I know I am not doing anything wrong or illegal.

TDN: Are you thinking of applying to court about the plots you claim to have been through?

SADAK: I am the chairman of HADEP in Sirnak but my family and home are in Idil.
The gendarmerie didn't allow me to enter Idil before the last bayram. Upon calling the Idil
Gendarmerie captain and asking him if he knew of the order, he replied: "Of course I do. I
issued it so take your home and go wherever you want." I asked my crime and received the
reply: "I'm not allowing you into Idil. You aren't going to spend this bayram in your home."
He did what he said and I spent the holiday away from home, alone in Sirnak.

TDN: Are there any developments about the missing from Silopi?

SADAK: No, there are not. None of the authorities that we applied to have said anything.
We shall go on making legal applications though. It is quite obvious where they have gone.
The driver of the minibus carrying them witnessed these people being taken to the Silopi
Gendarmerie Command. There are other witnesses as well. However, no one has witnessed
them exit. Since where they have gone is obvious, the people there must know what has
happened to them. We will go on with our efforts until these people make explanations to us
and to the public.

TDN: What is the general opinion in Silopi about these missing people?

SADAK: The people of Silopi are used to lost people. Over 50 people went missing in the
past decade in Silopi. Even their bones haven't been found. The people of Silopi believe that
the same thing must have happened to the recently lost ones as had happened to the previous.